Paper-carton opener.



A. I. PLATT.

PAPER CARTON OPENER. APPLICATION FILED N0v,13, 1914.

Lmg mm, N Patented Feb.23,1915.

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- INI/EIVTOR MaKW ATTORNEY 7;, I EWMMM ARTHUR I. PLATT, OF BRIDGEPORT,CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE BRIDGEPORT HARDWARE MANUFACTURINGCORPORATION, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A

CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

PAPER-CARTON OPENER.

Application filed November 13, 1914. Serial No. 871,903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR I. PLATT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, haveinvented an Improvement in Paper-Carton Openers, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensiveimplement especially adapted to open corrugated paper cartons and fibercases without injury'to the container, so that it can be used again, andwithout danger of injuring boxes or articles within the container.

It is of course well understood that in shipping generally. andespecially in shipping articles contained in paper boxes, corrugatedpaper and pastebcard or fiber cases have largely taken the place ofwooden boxes. These corrugated paper or paste board cases are commonlydesignated as cartons and conslst of a container, so called,

which is usually a lidless box of the knockdown type, and an independentlid which ordinarily tucks into the container. The function of thepresent invention is to cut the lid out entirely or to cut it on threesides, leaving one side to serve as a hinge, but

without injury to the container, so that it.

may be used again, and with perfect safety to the contents of thecontainer.

"With these and other objects in View I have devised the novel papercarton-opener which I will now describe, referring to the.

accompanving drawing forming a part of this specification and usingreference charactors to indicate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my novel implement; Fig. 2 an elevationas seen from the right in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a longitudinal sectioncorresponding with Fig. 1; Fig. 4 a section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1,looking in the direction of the arrows, and Fig. 5 is a Viewillustrating the operation of the implement in opening a carton, which,however, is not necessarily placed in the position shown.

My novel implement comprises a cutter 10, a shoe l1 and a handle 12. Thehandle is shown as provided with a recess 13 in which to carry extracutters, the recess beingwclosed by a screw cap 14. The handle isprovided at its other end with a slot 15 to party receive the cutter andwith a ferrule 16 having a slot through which the cutter passes. Therear end of the cutter is shown as provided with a slot 17 and its frontside with a notch 18. A pin 19 passing through the ferrule, the handleand slot 17 retains the ferrule securely in place on the handle and alsocenters and steadies the cutter in use. The notch is visible through anopening 20 in the ferrule and permits the operator to engage the cutterand move it upward or downward for convenience in making an adjustment.

The special construction of the shoe is immaterial so far as theprinciple of the invention is concerned. I have illustrated a shoeconsisting of two plates of sheet metal blanked out and formed to shape.The front ends of the central portion of these plates have formedtherein half sockets which together form a socket 21 which is threadedto receive a set screw 22, the plates lying in contact above and belowthe socket and being secured together by rivets 23. Back of thecontacting portion of the plates is a vertical guideway 24C for thecutter which passes into the apex of the channel in a plane m dwaybetween the sides of the channel. The rear end of the guideway is closedby a filling plate 25, rivets 23 passing through the plates of the shoeand the filling plate. Above the guideway the plates are bent at a rightangle and form cars 26 which are riveted to the ferrule. Below theguideway the plates of the shoe are bent outward at a right angle toeach other to form an angular channel 27 adapted to receive the cornerof a carton. as clearly shown in Fig. 5. I preferably shape and form theplates so that the channel will lie obliquely instead of at a rightangle to the axis of the handle, so that in use with the channel lyingparallel with the edge of a carton to be opened, the

handle will lie at an obtuse angle to the channel and to the edge of thecarton and will incline backward away from the operator, which addsgreatly to the convenience of the operator in using the implement. Thefront ends of the sides of the channel are curved outward, as at 28, so.as to permit the channel to ride smoothly over the cornor-of a carton.The edge of the cutter is inclined forward and upward from its rear end,leaving a sharp angle at the rear end to penetrate the carton. The frontend of Patented Feb. 23, 12115;

TOO

Illlli the cutter above the edge is shown as cut away, leaving ashoulder 29. The cutter is operation of this implement is concerned, itbeing equally operative upon the various makes and styles of cartons ingeneral use. The operator places the implement at the rear of the edgeto be cut, forces the rear end of the cutter through the lid, the edgeofthe carton fitting closely in the channel,

and then draws the implement forward, as .indicated 1n Fig. 5, until oneside of the lid is entirely cutout. This operation may be I repeated onall four edges of the carton to I handle and the shoe and passing intothe remove the lid, or upon three sides only if preferred, leaving oneedge of the lid to serve as a hinge therefor. In changing from heavy tolight cartons, or vice versa, the cutter may be adjusted by looseningthe set screw and raising or lowering the cutter as may be required, andthen looking it in the guideway again by tightening up the set screw.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

1. An implement of the character described comprising a shoe having anangular channel adapted to receive the edge of a carton, a cutterpassing into the apex of the channel in a planemidway between the planesof'thesides of the channel, and a handle lying at an obtuse angle to thechannel. I v I 2. An implement of the character described comprising ashoe having an angular channel adapted to receive the edge of I acarton, a handle lying-at an obtuse angle to the channel and a cuttersocketed in the apex of the channel in a plane midway between the planesof the sides of the channel.

3. An implement of the character described comprising a shoe having anangular channel adapted to receive the edge of a carton, a. handle, acutter socketed in the handle and the shoe and passing into the apex ofthe channel in a plane midway between the planes of the sides of thechannel, and means for locking the cutter at any required adjustment.

4.. An implement of the character described comprising a shoe having anangular channel adapted to receive the edge of a carton and a cutterpassing into the apex of the channel in a plane midway between theplanes of the sides of the channel.

5. An implement of the character described comprising a handle, a shoehaving an angular channel adapted to receive the edge of the carton andlying in a plane oblique to the handle and a cutter socketed in thehandle and the shoe'and passing into the apex of the channel.

6. An implement of, the character described comprising a shoe formedfrom plates of sheet metal shaped to form a. guide-way, a channeladapted to receive the edge of a carton and a threaded socket, a cutterin the guideway and passing into the apex of the channel and a set screwin the socket by which the cutter is locked at any required adjustment.r

7. An implement of the character described comprising ashoe formed fromplates of sheet metal shaped to form aguide-way, a channel adapted toreceive the edge of a carton and a threaded socket, a cutter in theguideway and passing into the apex of the channel, a set screw 7 in thesocket by which the .cutter is locked at any required adjustment, and ahandle lying obliquely to the channel in the shoe.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR I. PLATT.

l \Vitnesses:

H. L. Monnnousn, F. GLENDON HALL. v

